The girls learning about aquatic insects together.

Meg Says: Last week I wrote about all the non-science parts of a girls science camp.  To sum it up, an all girls camp is an amazing bonding experience! At Headwaters Science Camp the girls not only got to bond over all the normal teenage things, but they also got to bond over science. As Momo said, “It was really fun to be surrounded by smart girls who were interested in science.”  It was amazing to see a group of high school girls who were passionate about science all working together. The girls were adventurous with their research ideas and thoughts.

Carli showing her fellow campers how fun it is to hold bugs!

I loved how inquisitive they were; they took the time to learn not only from their instructors, but from each other.  It was interesting, while they all loved science, they had a wide range of interests in science. Alex, for example, loves birds. She always had her binoculars and was willing and patient enough to teach the other girls about the birds she saw. We had quite the list by the end of the week, everything from woodpeckers nesting in camp, to eagles, to pelicans, to countless songbirds. Carli on the other hand is pretty passionate about bugs, and made everyone a little more comfortable catching and observing bugs.They pushed themselves to make great research projects. I don’t know how different their projects would have been with boys around, but I know they would not have been as free with their thoughts and conversations about science.

Carli teaching her camp mates about the insects found in Lacy Meadow

Momo, wants to be a biochemist and was curious about water chemistry and wanted to spend time using the chemistry kit to test water. Jamie is very interested in water quality.  As an instructor and the leader of the camp my goal was the teach and mentor the girls on how to do research, but to not get in the way of their creativity or limit their ideas.

Momo and Juju work together to process their water samples.

Jamie wrote to me after camp, “I am so grateful for the Headwaters Girls Science Camp; it taught me to dive into questions I have about the world around me. My instructors gave valuable tips and lessons, while also creating a safe space for everyone to learn and grow. My group and I researched water quality in the Webber Lake area, and tested for ammonia, nitrite, phosphate, and the pH, dissolved oxygen, and total dissolved solids levels.

Jamie enjoying the water quality tests.

I look forward to further research on water sources and want to expand to test for lead, chlorine, and mercury levels, as well as the different kinds of bacteria in the water. I’m curious about how humans impact their drinking water. I also want to find ways to improve the quality of water sources. Being able to research and collect data out in the field opened my eyes up to other scientific careers I didn’t realize existed.”

As the camp leader it was tempting to push the girls towards certain questions and topics, but in the end it was better to guide and watch how their passions translated into projects.  Jamie’s group studied water quality in different areas around Webber Lake.  They found that overall water quality was very good. While they tested many markers of water quality including: salinity, nitrate, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and clarity, the biggest difference they saw was in pH. Some of the areas tested were significantly more basic. 

Dylan testing the dissolved oxygen levels in Lacey Creek.

The group hypothesized that this was because of granite substrate nearby. Carli’s group on the other hand was influenced by her love of bugs and they studied insects. Her group compared the macro-invertebrates in the forest and meadow around Webber Lake. They found that there was a higher density and diversity of insects in the meadow than in the forest, while the forest had less variation in the size of populations surveyed.

Regardless of what project they choose, they all learned how to do research; the girls learned how to make mistakes and use them to improve their projects, they learned how to work together, they learned to collect accurate repeatable data. Most of all, they learned how to be scientists!  I think they will all agree with this sentiment from Momo: “Doing science in the field was amazing!”

Headwaters girls on Independence Lake getting help with their project from a Nature Conservancy Scientist.